Chapter 185: Chapter 185: The Sleeper_l
Translator: 549690339
In the classroom of the Talisman course, Chen Mobai was sitting in a corner by the window, feeling a little distracted.
After the class bell rang, the teacher placed a stack of corrected talismans on the rostrum, then began to announce the grades.
“The first place in this Qi Absorbing Talisman test goes to Zhuang Jialan.” The bespectacled woman sitting in the front row stood up and claimed her submitted talisman when her name was called.
When she turned around, Chen Mobai glanced at her briefly.
She was quite pretty.
Dainty nose, dimples formed by her light smile, exquisite skin as clear as jade, and spectacles, along with eyebrows specially drawn for a gentle and charming look, she looked demure but exuding an aura of innocence.
“Second place, Si Guanyu.”
The next one to go up was another of the top students in their grade majoring
in talismans.
There are gains and there are losses. Thanks to the tutoring he received from Chai Lun, Chen Mobai consistently ranked in the top three in the Puppet Lines course. His practical assembly lessons have consecutively ranked first seven times, earning him the reputation of a budding prodigy in puppetry.
However, the flip side of this was that because he didn’t invest much energy in his other major-the talismans course-and coupled with the fact that his talent for drawing talismans was quite average, he’d been consistently among the last since the beginning of the semester.
If it hadn’t been for the three who came in through the backdoor and always ranking last, Chen Mobai would have been the last in this year’s class.
“Twenty-third place, Chen Mobai.”
Upon hearing his name, he hurriedly went up and collected the “Qi Absorbing Talisman” he had drawn from the teacher.
This is a Rank-1 superior talisman. Using it can guide spiritual energy to a specific location. It’s typically used during meditation. One would place it on a mat to assist with cultivation.
At a lower level, it was capable of enhancing one’s spiritual energy level by a small stage.
Because Chen Mobai had a good foundation during his time at the Cinnabarite Institute, he was able to keep up with the progress of the talisman course at Dance Tool Daoist Academy.
This “Qi Absorbing Talisman” was fairly standard, and the instructor gave him
a passing score of 60 points.
Just as he was about to leave having collected his work, the teacher called him back.
The teacher was Gao Yu. Though he was only at the Foundation Establishment level, he was a Rank-3 Talisman Maker. In terms of his achievements in talismans, he could be called an expert among immortals.
He glanced at Chen Mobai and spoke with a tone of disappointment.
“1 know you’re obsessed with puppetry, but you must know that the real major way lies in the talismans.”
“You are a smart boy, you got into the Daoist Academy on your own merit and have made some progress in the unpopular puppetry technique. Of course, your talents are inarguable. But I hope you would spend more time on the study of talismans.”
“The pinnacle of puppetry in the immortal field is only the peak of Rank-3. In contrast, the talismans passed down in our Daoist traditions can achieve up to Rank-5, capable of moving the stars and the moon. It’s far more than what a mere puppet can achieve.”
Chen Mobai could only lower his head and agree. He couldn’t very well say that it wasn’t because he wasn’t trying hard, but that this was his actual talent limit.
This Qi Absorbing Talisman was the best result he chose after drawing a hundred of them. If it were back in Tianhe Realm, it would already be considered a fine product.
Little did he know that in the first-grade class of the Dance Tool Daoist Academy, all it was worth was a passing grade.
Because his fame was rising in the Puppet Lines course, everyone attributed his poor performance in the Talisman course to his lack of dedication, instead of his lack of talent.
Everyone thought he was engrossed in puppetry and chose the Talisman course out of perfunctory intent, and only studied it during class, never practicing afterwards.
Even so, his grades were able to keep up with the majority of the class, and he understood all the basic knowledge points.
Both Teacher Gao Yu and the rest of the class believed that as long as Chen Mobai focused on the talisman course, his grades could soar at any time, and he might even surpass Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan, the two geniuses.
It is for this reason that despite consistently ranking amongst the last in the Talisman course, no one dared to look down on Chen Mobai.
Some people even gave him a nickname.
The Sleeper.
After receiving his criticism, Chen Mobai returned to his seat in a daze, unaware of the thoughtful gazes from the two top students in the class.
Zhuang Jialan and Si Guanyu consistently ranked first and second in the Talisman course, but while they were competing against each other, they were also keeping an eye on Chen Mobai.
They even believed that it was the pressure of this sleeper who could wake up at any time that allowed them to progress so quickly.
They wanted to use this time to elevate themselves to a level that even if Chen Mobai decided to focus on talismans, he would not be able to catch up.
But all of Chen Mobai’s attention was now focused on the Practise Puppet that was about to be completed.
After labouring for twenty-five days, only final assembly, uploading his data model, and adjusting the features were left under Chen Mobai’s careful assistance.
Finally, the day was here.
Chen Mobai had had enough of his slowly progressing Longevity Sutra technique.
After class, even though he was still feeling a little dazed, he quickly gathered up his textbooks, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and bolted out of the classroom.
Both top students, who had wanted to exchange a few words with him, couldn’t help but look at each other in surprise.
“Honestly, I wanted to ask him for this month’s class fee.
Zhuang Jialan stomped her foot a little annoyed as she watched Chen Mobai’s retreating figure.
“Let’s front him the money for now.”
Si Guanyu, a boy who was as mild-natured as his name implied, also served as an officer along Zhuang Jialan. They were like unofficial spokespeople for the Talisman class of new students of this batch.
Chen Mobai had absolutely no idea about all this. As soon as he arrived at Chai Lun’s workshop, he skillfully picked up a wrench and helped the latter assemble the last limbs and head of the Practise Puppet.
Time quickly passed as he focused all his attention on the task.
Unbeknownst to him, the sky has already darkened outside, and the Practise Puppet had reached its final step.
“I will demonstrate this once so you can adjust it later when there is a problem.”
Chai Lun placed the assembled faceless puppet onto a cleared partition, then took out a U-disk containing Chen Mobai’s body data and inserted it into the left slot.
The Practise Puppet still had its head open, with wires extending from the central controller linked to a twenty-centimeter-square screen.
Chai Lun’s fingers moved so swiftly they left afterimages. He quickly completed the data transfer.
Then, he instructed Chen Mobai to input the Qi Cultivation technique from the Pure Yang Scroll and started the first debugging.
The result was perfect.
The half-hour-long practising technique showed all the potential problems Chen Mobai might encounter during the process on the screen.
For example, when reaching Qi Cultivation stage six, the two meridians in the left hand were not strong enough. Before the breakthrough, a need for nurture and expansion is needed, which can then enable the condition to break through to Qi Cultivation stage seven in one go.
Then there was the shortest, and longest time it takes to complete the Three Yang Body. He could set his own conditions to change within this range. With Chai Lun there, Chen Mobai did not dare to set the condition for full spiritual stone cultivation, which could substantially reduce the time taken. “You’ve worked hard during this period, senior.”
After practicing the Pure Yang Scroll once and confirming there were no issues, Chen Mobai was excited. He thanked Chai Lun and paid the remaining balance. As Chai Lun watched Chen Mobai carry the Practise Puppet away, a trace of reluctance flashed in his eyes..